Public Service Externship

General Description

The Program

The Public Service Externship Clinic has several purposes: to enhance students' ability
to learn from their experiences, to train students in lawyering skills; to give students
greater insight into the workings of the legal system; and to foster in students a
sense of professional responsibility.

Under the guidance of a supervising attorney or judge, student externs perform a variety
of challenging tasks. Feedback from supervisors concerning these tasks creates the
ideal environment for developing self-directed learning skills. Externship faculty
members regularly meet or correspond with externs, reviewing their work and what they
are learning.

The school can arrange a wide variety of placements. At numerous governmental offices,
courts, and non-profit agencies, law students can gain practical legal experience
in the areas of researching, preparing legal documents, interviewing, counseling,
negotiating, and litigating.

Consistently, students find their clinical courses - including externships - to be
one of the highlights of their legal education. Some are excited by representing real
clients in court and at administrative hearings. Others gain stimulating insights
into the legal process from working with trial or appellate judges. Regardless of
their placement, all externs find that their experiences enable them to revitalize
their formal education and to learn valuable legal skills.

Placements

Various externship placements have been established to meet student interest. The
scope of externship opportunities allows students to explore many areas of interest.
Most students extern within Lucas County at courts, government agencies and public
service organizations.

Some out-of-town externships are available in the summer semester. Students are encouraged
to propose out-of-town externship placements.

Qualifications

One externship per student is the norm. To qualify for an externship, students must
have completed their first year of law school (two years if part-time student) and
must be in good academic standing.

Student-Initiated Externship

Students wishing to extern with a government agency or program not listed as an established
placement may contact the agency/office and initiate an externship. After the student
obtains the preliminary information regarding the placement, the externship faculty
will review the information, meet with the proposed supervising attorney, and approve
or deny the proposed placement.

Length of Placement

In the fall and spring semesters, students work a minimum of four hours per week per
unit of credit for 14 weeks. Students also must attend the PSEC classroom component
(see course schedule).

In the summer term, students work a minimum of 48 hours per unit of credit during
the summer semester. Students may earn up to six units of credit toward graduation. For
example, a student who elected six credit hours would work a total of 288 hours in
the field placement over the summer.

The Role of the Supervising Attorney/Judge

The supervising attorneys or judges serve as teachers, role models, mentors, and friends.
The externship faculty works as a team with each supervising attorney/judge to design
and implement a valuable learning program for externs. Each new supervising attorney/judge
meets with the Externship faculty to discuss in detail his/her role and how it fits
into the program's purposes. Finally, the supervising attorney/judge completes a mid-semester
and final evaluation of the extern. These assist the Externship faculty in determining
grades and providing necessary feedback to the extern.

If you would like further information about this program, please contact Professor
Fink at the above address.